In an age of mystery and superstition, how would the people of Gotham react to a weird creature of the night, a bat-garbed vigilante feared by the guilty and the innocent alike? The very first Elseworlds tale re-imagines the Dark Knight detective in Victorian times and pits him against the infamous murderer Jack the Ripper.

I never in my life could have come up with the concept of Batman against Jack the Ripper but that is just what Gotham by Gaslight does. We are in an alternate reality where Bruce Wayne is Batman back in the days of the Ripper and with the ripping taking place in Gotham it gives Batman a worthy and violent foe to deal with for the running time of this animated movie. These animated movies at times don’t shy away from violence and this is one that goes all in with the Ripper stuff. We have blood and I’m happy we do because you could never do a story like this without having just that. So, we have Batman being as cool as he always is and we have Jack the Ripper being all violent like he always is. Toss on top some mystery and we have a very interesting flick from DC and their animated movie line.

As this story moves along it shows us Batman take some very interesting steps in order to try to get the crazy person off the streets. There are a few missteps here and there along the way in my opinion, but the movie still manages to stay very solid and interesting enough. I also applaud the unique concept even if it isn’t the traditional modern style Batman tale we are used to. I do, however, feel the Blu-ray looks great, but the 4K disc looks just like the Blu-ray disc. So, from a 1080p side of things, things are very good. In a 4K way, I think I most and most people who see this will find it a bit lacking. But at least we have a solid Batman story here with a different type of bad guy.

Extras

– “Caped Fear: The First Elseworld” (Featurette) – Batman in the distant past of Gotham, at the crossroads of where the Gothic 19th century meets the modern age. Jack the Ripper, clashing with Gotham and its ruling elite. The documentary traces the influence of the comic book story, and why Gotham by Gaslight stands the test of time.
– Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Audio Commentary – Join Executive Producer Bruce Timm, Director Sam Liu and Writer Jim Krieg as they provide details about the scenes of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight and why this is a special project for each of them. Listen in for all things Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, and immerse once more into this dark and Gothic world.
– A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay: A behind-the-scenes look at the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies, featuring thoughts from the talented filmmakers.
– From the DC Vault – “Showdown” episode from Batman: The Animated Series; “Trials of the Demon!” episode from Batman: The Brave and the Bold.